Zelenskyj explained on the Telegram online service that Russia had de facto mined several energy facilities through the use of cluster munitions, making it “significantly more difficult for our rescue workers and our energy engineers to resolve the consequences of the attacks.” The use of cluster munitions and the shelling of civilian infrastructure is “a very despicable escalation of Russia’s terrorist tactics.”
Apparently addressing his Western partners, Zelensky urged that Ukraine needed additional air defense systems “now.”
According to the local authorities, a total of more than a million electricity customers were cut off from their energy supply in western Ukraine: in the Lviv region, which borders the NATO country Poland, 523,000 electricity customers were affected, in Rivne a further 280,000 and in the Volyn region 215,000 – and this with winter temperatures around freezing point in large parts of the country.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko reported on the online service Facebook of “massive hostile attacks” on the energy infrastructure “across Ukraine.” According to the Ukrainian energy supplier Ukrenergo, energy facilities in several regions were damaged. According to authorities, important infrastructure was also hit in the Kiev region, and there were further attacks in the northwestern city of Kharkiv and the Black Sea metropolis of Odessa.
The Ukrainian Air Force had previously sounded a nationwide air alert. She later said that Russia had attacked energy infrastructure with a total of 188 missiles and drones, many of which Ukraine shot down.
Putin spoke of 90 missiles and 100 drones that hit a total of 17 targets. “Tonight we carried out comprehensive strikes,” the Russian president said during a regional summit in the Kazakh capital Astana. This is “a response to continued attacks on our territory with ATACMS missiles.”
At the same time, Putin assured that he knew how many ATACMS missiles and British Storm Shadow cruise missiles Ukraine had, where they were and how many were still to be delivered.
Russia and Ukraine have stepped up their fire on each other since Kiev attacked targets inside Russia with US-made ATACMS missiles for the first time last week, following authorization from Washington. The Kremlin responded by using a new type of Russian medium-range missile for the first time.
The clearance for ATACMS use against targets deep in Russia is part of outgoing US President Joe Biden’s efforts to put Ukraine in the best possible position against Russia before his successor Donald Trump takes office on January 20th.
Trump is critical of the US billions in aid for the Ukrainian army; the Republican wants to end the war as quickly as possible. Critics fear that Ukraine could be forced to give up territory occupied by Russia due to a lack of financial and military aid.
A US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia should contribute to a quick peace. For the post on Wednesday, Trump nominated retired General Keith Kellogg, who had already served him in his first term as president “in highly sensitive functions in the area of national security.”
In an opinion piece in April, Kellogg advocated that the US, as a first step, officially seek a ceasefire and a negotiated solution to the Ukraine conflict. Ukraine must take part in peace talks in order to continue receiving arms supplies from the USA.
To persuade Putin to participate in peace talks, the US president and other senior NATO officials should offer Moscow to suspend Ukraine’s prospect of NATO membership “for a longer period of time in return for a comprehensive and verifiable peace agreement with security guarantees.” Kellogg elaborated.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said on Thursday in Berlin: “We must and will do everything we can to finally get to peace negotiations.” But Putin reacts to all such proposals with “even more arbitrariness and terror.” At the same time, Baerbock assured that all G7 countries, which also include Germany and the USA, would “do everything” to ensure that Ukraine “can defend its right to self-determination and its sovereignty over its land.”
